Try this easy yet delicious lamb and cabbage tortilla for your next lunch. Made with whole-grain tortillas, crispy cabbage, superb and melt-in-your-mouth, medium-rare lamb and topped with some creamy cottage cheese and spicy harissa sauce, it’s a great nutritious and fulfilling meal.
Oh, my. I love easy dishes. There are days when you just want an easy, delicious but nutritious meal. This cabbage lamb tortilla is a great example. To put it all together it will take you no longer than 20 minutes. I got inspired by Jamie Oliver’s lamb koftas recipe. But, since, I’ve already made tandoori masala koftas and because I found a lovely piece of lamb, I decided to prepare a lamb backstrap instead.
Lamb. Do you like lamb? Do you have any experience with it? When I was young, I remember trying lamb somewhere in Croatia and the flavour was so intense (in a bad way) that I couldn’t eat it. And that memory has stuck with me forever. Until now. I thought: “That can’t be true”. Not all lambs can taste like that. So many people like it and prepare it every day. Therefore, I gave it another try. Boy, was I surprised! The result was the most tender piece of meat ever with the aroma that it was supposed to have (not that bad smell). Simply superb!
Go out and try what you’ve been putting on a side path. Make bad memories go away and create new ones. Wink. And, don’t be scared of lamb. The worst thing you can do is to overcook it. As a result, it will be gummy and not so delightful.
In this recipe, I used lamb backstrap, also known as the eye of loin. This is a delicate, lean and meaty part of the lamb. More, it’s free from fat, gristle and bone. Additionally, it’s rich in protein (if you are aiming for bigger muscles, this is for you) and contains several minerals and vitamins which give you energy, boost your immune system and keep your brain in “motion”.
How to know when the lamb is done
Cooking the lamb correctly (whether medium or well-done) can transform it into something amazing. Therefore, check these tips. There are two ways how to check if the meat is done without cutting it. Firstly, you can use a thermometer. That’s, in fact, the best way to know the doneness of lamb meat. And for the medium cooked lamb, it should reach 60-65ºC.
Secondly, the other way is to do the finger test. Press on different spots of the meat to check the consistency. If the meat springs back it’s perfectly medium and pink on the inside. Just how I like it. Yummy. When it results soft to the touch, it is medium-rare, pink and with a red centre. On the other hand, the well-done, brown inside will feel firm to the touch.
Additional tips:
- Allow the meat to come to room temperature. Throwing it directly out of the fridge into the pan results in unevenly cooked meat.
- Don’t cut the meat during cooking and use a thermometer instead or do the finger check.
- Allow the meat (when cooked) to rest for 5-10 minutes under some alu foil in order to allow the juices to redistribute and to get a more tender bite.
I find lamb pairs great with something crispy. Therefore, I picked cabbage, red cabbage to be exact. I love cabbage. There are so many things you can prepare with it. For instance, you can enjoy it raw in a salad, you can grill it, prepare it in the oven (just like this roasted lemon-garlic cabbage), saute it with some garlic or cook in a soup (check out this colourful red cabbage soup. It’s amazing and incredibly rich in vitamin C. More than an orange. Did you know that? Wink.
Ingredients for 2 portions of spicy lamb and cabbage tortilla:
- 200 g lamb backstrap (or rump)
- salt, pepper
- 2 tsp of Harissa paste
- 2 Tbsp of olive oil
- a splash of apple vinegar
- 200 g of red cabbage (shredded)
- 3 Tbsp of cottage cheese
- 2 whole-grain tortillas (or naan or any flatbread)
To begin, rub the lamb backstrap with olive oil, harissa, salt and pepper and keep it aside. Then, shred the red cabbage, as finely as possible. Put it in a bowl, drizzle with some vinegar and olive oil, add two pinches of sea salt and toss to combine. Keep it aside for later.
Furthermore, prepare the lamb. Heat a larger frying pan (that fits the lamb). Once hot, place in the lamb and sear it on all sides for 2-3 minutes. When gnarly on the outside yet pink on the inside, remove from the heat, cover with alu foil and allow to rest for 5-7 minutes.
More, stir a splash of vinegar and a splash of water into the pan (the same where you cooked the lamb), let it thicken in order to get some lovely sauce.
Finally, warm the tortillas (either in the oven or in the pan), place them onto a plate, top them with crispy cabbage, slice the lamb and lay it on the cabbage, add the cottage cheese and finish with a drizzle of sauce.
This spicy cabbage and lamb tortilla is a wonderful lunch or dinner idea. It’s super quick and easy to make. Also, you can make other combos, too. Take a bunch of simple ingredients and make your own meal.
Enjoy!
